Supreme Court of Florida
In Re: Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases - Report 2018-11
December 20, 2018260 So. 3d 1024
Summary
The court authorized amended versions of five standard criminal jury instructions for publication and use, including revisions addressing jury deliberations, written threats involving mass shootings or terrorism, sexual-offender and sexual-predator definitions, and witness or victim harassment. The amendments primarily conform the instructions to legislative changes and clarify existing language. The court emphasized that authorization does not constitute an opinion on the instructions’ legal correctness and does not foreclose challenges or requests for alternative instructions.